Ireland maintains one of the European Union’s most critical stances toward Israel, having recognized Palestinian statehood in May without Israel’s participation.
Ireland’s National Council for Curriculum and Assessment is under mounting pressure to overhaul its textbook review procedures following a damaging report that exposes systematic inaccuracies in how Jewish history and Israel are presented to students.
The report, published by the Jerusalem-based research institute IMPACT-se, identified concerning patterns across multiple textbooks used in Irish schools.
Among the most glaring examples is a 2020 religious studies text that incorrectly places Jesus’s birth in “Palestine,” rather than the historically accurate Judea.
A 2022 civics textbook, “Call to Action,” presents what IMPACT-se describes as “unfair and inaccurate framing of Israel as the sole aggressor and actor responsible for the conflict.”
Additionally, a history text titled “Dictatorship and Democracy,” aimed at 17- and 18-year-olds, minimizes the Holocaust by describing Auschwitz as a “prisoner of war camp” rather than acknowledging its role in the systematic extermination of Jews.
The pressure for reform comes as Ireland grapples with broader questions about antisemitism. Recent survey data from the ADL indicates that 20% of Irish respondents express antisemitic attitudes, placing Ireland on par with Italy and Portugal.
Ireland maintains one of the European Union’s most critical stances toward Israel, having recognized Palestinian statehood in May without Israel’s participation.
Last week, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris pressed the EU to reevaluate its economic ties with Israel, citing the Knesset’s decision to prohibit the Hamas-linked United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from operating within Israeli borders.
“The most important step the European Union could take now is to review trade relations at EU level. What Israel and the Knesset did last night is despicable, dishonorable, and shameful,” Harris said. “More people will die, more children will starve.”
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